Worthing

Worthing's population grew between the last two censuses. At the same time there were changes in health, religion and housing tenure.

The population passed 100,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Worthing increased by 7.3%, from just under 97,600 to 105,000.

The addition of almost 7,100 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Worthing was home to, on average, 23 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across the South East

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the South East, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Worthing

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Worthing increased by one year, from 41 to 42 years.

This urban area had a higher average age than the South East and remained somewhat older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of about 3,700 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population over the age of 80 years decreased by just over 1,000.

About 15.0% of people in Worthing are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Worthing by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Worthing residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 9.3% to 5.3% between the last two censuses.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (80.3%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 66.3% in 2001. The percentage of Worthing residents that described their health as fair decreased from 24.5% to 14.4%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell faster here than the figure for the whole of the South East (from 7.2% in 2001 to 4.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Worthing decreased by 4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Worthing, the South East and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Worthing

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Worthing was among those who said they had no religion, rising 14.3 points.

In 2011, 32.9% of respondents in Worthing gave this religion on the census compared with 18.6% of those who answered in 2001.

Across the South East, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion that described themselves as having no religion increased from 17.9% to 30.1%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Newham, 63.4% said they were Christian, compared with 79.0% in 2001. About 0.1% said they were Sikh, compared with 0.1% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and did not state their religion decreased from 9.6% to 9.1%.

In Worthing, 8.4% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 8.7% in 2001. In South East, 7.4% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

The population without a religion in Worthing increased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, South East and Worthing by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Worthing

The percentage of Worthing residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 2.8% to 3.5% in the decade to 2011.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 7.0%, while the percentage of Worthing residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 89.6%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 2.5% in 2001 to 3.2% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Worthing, but at a slower rate than in Eastbourne (one of the most statistically similar areas to Worthing based on ONS area classifications).

In Worthing, the proportion of private renting increased from 12.0% in 2001 to 19.4% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in statistically similar Eastbourne increased from 13.8% to 23.3%.

Across the South East, the share of privately rented homes increased from 10.2% to 16.5%.

The rate of social housing in Worthing remained close to 10.0%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 76.7% to 69.3%.

Private renting in Worthing increased by 7.3 percentage points

Percentage of households in Worthing, the South East and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Worthing without children decreased from 68.5% to 66.4% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over one in four (25.8%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 24.6% in 2001. The percentage of households in Worthing with only adult children living with their parents increased from 6.9% to 7.8%.

The proportion of households without children fell faster here than the figure for the whole of the South East (which remained close to 61.7%). Across England, the percentage remained close to 61.2%.

The proportion of households without children was higher than across the South East

Percentage of households without children across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

More adults are separated from partners

The percentage of adults in Worthing that had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased from 12.1% to 14.0% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just under one in two (45.9%) people aged 16 and over said they were married, compared with 49.6% in 2001. The percentage of single people in Worthing increased from 27.1% to 31.5%.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 10.6% in 2001 to 11.7% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 10.6% to 11.6%.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner was higher than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Ethnicity in Worthing

In 2011, 3.2% of Worthing residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, making it the most common ethnicity in this local authority area. The population from these groups has increased from 1.2% in 2001.

Across the South East, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 2.6% to 5.0%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 93.8% of people in Worthing said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 97.2% in 2001. About 1.8% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.9% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.3% to 0.8%.

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Worthing increased by 2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Worthing by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in rate of unemployment

The percentage of Worthing residents that were unemployed increased from 2.1% to 3.5% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over one in two (54.8%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 54.4% in 2001. The percentage of Worthing residents that were self-employed increased from 9.5% to 10.7%.

The proportion of unemployed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 2.3% in 2001 to 3.5% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.4% to 4.4%.

The rate of unemployment in Worthing increased by 1.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Worthing, the South East and England that said they were unemployed, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Worthing working less than 16 hours increased from 2.1% to 3.2% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under 1 in 11 (9.0%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 12.1% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 2.1% in 2001 to 3.1% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Worthing increased by 1.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Worthing, the South East and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Changing household dynamics

The percentage of households in Worthing, which comprised one person, remained close to 35.9% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under 1 in 10 (9.6%) households had an unmarried couple, compared with 8.2% in 2001. The percentage of households in Worthing which comprised a married couple (with or without children) decreased from 31.3% to 30.0%.

The proportion of one-person households fell here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (which remained close to 29.0%). Across England, the percentage remained close to 30.3%.

The percentage of households with only one person was higher than across the South East

Percentage of households that comprised only one person across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Worthing residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 0.9% to 1.3% between the last two censuses.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 1.9%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 0.8% in 2001 to 1.1% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Worthing remained close to 1.3%

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Worthing by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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